What makes Penelope such a fresh take on the fairy-tale film?
Christina Ricci: The writer was smart to use a fairy-tale format to inject this powerful surprise and to make a statement that isn’t patronizing. MM: How do you think young people will react to the film? CR: I’m hoping young people will really like the movie. I think there’s a lot in the movie that’s extremely entertaining. It’s a funny movie. When I was a teenager Catherine O’Hara was my favorite actress, and she’s hilarious. There are a lot of really romantic parts to the film that I didn’t know would be so rewardingly romantic. We’ve been getting a really warm response to our movie that promotes the value of being an individual and self acceptance, and that vanity is a silly thing. MM: The film was shot in 2006. Do you know what delayed its release? CR: I don’t know the specifics in this case, because I wasn’t involved in any of the post production details, but with independent films they’re made without a distributor attached. It went to festivals where it was quickly picked up by
